Modeling the Critical Success Path of Practitioners’ Support for Student Development in Practitioner–Instructor Collaborations

Abstract

To balance the theoretical knowledge garnered by students in higher education institutions (HEIs) with the competencies required by the industry, researchers have suggested the concerted input of communities of practice (i.e., construction practitioners). This can be achieved through practitioners’ provision of instructors’ course-support needs toward student development. However, some factors could influence the successful participation of practitioners in meeting instructors’ course-support needs. Therefore, the study modeled the critical success path of practitioners’ support for student development in practitioner–instructor collaborations. A questionnaire survey was used to conduct an empirical analysis to test the conceptual model. A total of 253 practitioners in the US construction industry participated in the study. Using the software and the partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique, the study identified the critical factors and modeled a success path for practitioners’ provision of instructors’ course-support needs. In modeling the success path, the study revealed that institution-related factors should not be considered. The results of the analysis revealed that student-related factors are significant and have a moderate influence (R2) of 22.4% on specific course-support-related factors. Similarly, the instructor-related factors have a significant impact (R2=43.4%) and large effect (β=0.659 and f2=0.766) on the student-related factors. The practical applications of the proposed model can be utilized by HEIs, instructors, and practitioners to successfully manage practitioners’ provision of instructors’ course-support needs. The findings will aid student development in practitioner–instructor collaborations.